Honorary degree for TV channel founder offering prisoners in-cell access to training and education

Jezz Wright, founder and Channel Director of Wayout TV - a range of in-cell channels that aim to help prisoners with their rehabilitation, has been awarded an Honorary Degree by UWE Bristol.

Jezz, who lives in Norwich, received his Honorary Master of Education on Monday 22 July in recognition of his commitment to widening participation in education among marginalised groups in society.

He’s one of nine individuals to be awarded Honorary Degrees during UWE Bristol’s summer graduation ceremonies, which are being held for the first time at Bristol Beacon, from 15 – 25 July.

Jezz devised in-cell channels in 2014 after identifying a strong need to provide those prisoners who weren’t engaging with traditional learning with innovative and engaging educational content through their in-cell TV. 

One of these channels, Way2Learn TV, offers a range of introductory courses that are designed to inspire and instil confidence in this particularly hard-to-reach cohort. This enables prisoners to think critically about their life choices, employability options and therefore guide their future learning journey.

Wayout TV and Way2Learn are the first and only national networked TV channels for prisoners anywhere in the world, and now serve over seventy UK establishments. 

During his time as Director of Content and Digital Strategy for education provider PeoplePlus, Jezz developed many strategic partnerships for prison learners, cumulating in UWE Bristol recognising all Way2Learn courses as qualitative learning activities. 

As a result of the partnership with UWE Bristol, Way2Learn is now certifying over 2500 courses annually for prisoners across the UK. 

Jezz said: “I founded Wayout TV 10 years ago with a view to improving the employability options and life chances of prisoners through the power of video learning. It’s a trusted channel for all prison staff and stakeholders to communicate with prisoners directly about the numerous education, employment and activities that are on offer. Our programming is essential brain-food for prisoners hungry to understand how they might turn their lives around whilst serving their sentence.

“When we launched, we needed a partner who could not only endorse the integrity of our educational content but give prisoners the opportunity to walk away from an alternative learning experience with a great sense of pride. I cannot impress upon you how much it means for prisoners to receive a certificate of learning with UWE Bristol’s name on it. Last year 2000 prisoners received their certificates upon completion of learning.

“This award isn't just for me, but for my justice colleagues and all prison educators who strive to ignite that spark of learning. Together, we can ensure that the transformative power of education reaches everyone, from prison cells to prestigious universities.”

Paul Bennett, Dean of Partnerships and International at UWE Bristol’s College of Business and Law, said: “This award is thoroughly deserved. Jezz embodies the UWE Bristol values of ambition, inclusivity, collaboration, innovation and enterprising through his advancement of in-cell learning and commitment to changing the lives of prisoners through education. He leads the way in offering thousands of disenfranchised individuals the opportunity to take a different path in life and benefits society at large by reducing reoffending rates.”

Outside of his professional work, Jezz volunteers for leading disability charity The Ann Conroy Trust as a communications manager and is a committed advocate for those living with Syringomyelia and Chiari Malformation. Jezz’s strong belief in ‘making a difference’ would often see him volunteer with inner-city projects and international broadcast organisations to share best practice within journalism and television production.